


The Middle Child of Fire

by CEObrainz, mila_mila



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Eventual Romance, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24892177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CEObrainz/pseuds/CEObrainz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mila_mila/pseuds/mila_mila
Summary: The Fire Nation family had three children, two of those were well known; the infamous Zuko who had been banished by his father and the powerful Azula who utilized blue fire. But what of Tadashi, the middle child of this strange family who is not known by many and why?Slight AU but consistent with the source material.Beta Reader: Suki-ATLA
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, this story is brought to you with the help of my amazing editor Suki-ALTA who has proven to be an invaluable presence in the formatting process. This work is an updated repost of the original story on FanFiction.net, everything after the first 27 chapters is new content. 
> 
> If you have any feedback, constructive criticism or just want to say hi feel free to leave a comment or alternatively consider joining a new Discord server I'm setting up for my writing: https://discord.gg/BNAek8C
> 
> I hope you enjoy your time here.

“Prince Tadashi, the Firebending Master!”

He could be a man of unparalleled skill. Unbeatable and revered by all, a hero of the Fire Nation. Capable of producing blue flames with ease, bending lightning that would go unchallenged and able to set anything alight with his intense flames. From a young age he was gifted, amazing, envied by his peers and enlightened before even maturing into an adult. Recognised by someone as powerful as the Avatar, as a true master of Firebending.

But he was no prodigy.

“Crown Prince Tadashi of the Fire Nation!”

He was certainly loved by his country, a brave man who stood for his people and pushed them on the path to greatness. No threat was too big for the prince who could protect everyone. From the moment he was born he would have been loved, cared for and taught how best to lead his people. He would have contributed in every war meeting, stood up for those that couldn’t speak for themselves and been the model prince. Certainly a sight to behold.

That being said, he could never be the crown prince.

“Captain Tadashi of the Imperial Guard!”

Not one to shy away from responsibility, this amazing man stood at the forefront of the best firebenders in the world. Leading a team of talented individuals in their sole duty of protecting the royal family, the city's aristocrats and other important figures of interest. Already born into nobility, the military officials would have recognised his insight, power and talent as a firebender. The members of his team would protect him as he protected them, forming a bond that would span their entire lifetime.

A position that has never been taken by royalty.

“Fire Lord Tadashi!”

A name that sounded all too familiar yet was virtually unobtainable.

A soft self-inflicted slap brought the boy out of his daydream as he sighed to himself and checked his appearance in the mirror once more, adjusting his top-knot for the sixth time that afternoon. He forced himself to inspect his clothing again, making sure that he did not miss any blemish in his appearance that had to be fixed before he appeared in front of his grandfather. He had heard the news that his grandfather wanted to hold a meeting with his father and their family, but due to a servant making a career-ending mess in the throne room the meeting was postponed for an hour. 

The sound of light footsteps shuffling brought him out of his obsessive trance, much to the surprise of the servant girl who had been waiting for her master to speak.

Turning to face the source of the noise, the girl immediately bowed as she was taught to, a small tremble taking over her body.

"Forgive me, Prince Tadashi, I meant no disrespect."

Tadashi moved towards the young girl who spoke, a servant that had moved from the colonies to personally serve the prince. Fire Lord Azulon had given her to his grandson as a gift; a consolation prize for ignoring the boy on his birthday, a day that happened to coincide with the departure of Crown Prince Iroh and the invasion force of Ba Sing Se. Tadashi leant forwards to console the young girl before pausing and withdrawing his hand, not wanting to mess up his hand or clothing.

"Don't worry about it Naoko," he chuckled. The name itself came from the colonies and symbolised purity. Despite the implication of its usage he thought it fit the girl perfectly.

Naoko raised her head and allowed a small smile to escape. Her body refused to stop shaking but she let out a breath of relief that made Tadashi chuckle. The two had been in this position of master and servant for almost two years and she still refused to relax when no one else was in sight. If it were any other person they would have been fed-up with her unchanging attitude, but Tadashi couldn’t bring himself to ever blame her. A memory of a time he had attempted to present a gift to the servant on her birthday came to mind. It was the first time in his life that he had been rejected by someone. Even if it occurred due to embarrassment rather than distaste, for a person of her status to reject the call of their master would normally be grounds for banishment but the combination of the thoughtful Tadashi and timid Naoko certainly broke expectations. It was also the first time that Tadashi had gotten Naoko to laugh and ever since the two would make subtle jokes about that day.

Tadashi slapped his cheeks. The prince’s method of refocusing and chastising himself had caused Naoko to jump, despite the action itself being a common occurrence.

"I better hurry up before I'm late," Tadashi excused himself, quickly bounding out of the door to his room.

As he ran a few of the servants he passed spared him a few glances, quickly giving a small bow before returning to their work. The boy was used to this treatment, his reputation with the servants was a well kept secret between the lower class. Unlike Azula who was bossy and Zuko who talked with an air of ignorance, Tadashi respected the servants, although he wasn't afraid to put them in their place when they seriously stepped out of line. 

Another memory surfaced as he passed by the palace guards; a time when one of the new cooks had snuck into Azula's room and stolen one of her golden bracelets only to run into the young girl who was busy giving her friends their 20th tour of the palace. At the time, Azula had only begun learning to firebend, so when she tried to bend at the thief, he quickly avoided the small tufts of orange fire and sprinted, running straight into Tadashi and Zuko. Mai and Ty Lee quickly ran to hide behind the two brothers who tried to stand in an intimidating way, as boys of their age would. Both boys stared at the thief for minutes on end while Azula glared at the man, Ty Lee cowered behind Zuko and Mai tried to contain the excited grin on her face. 

Before he knew it Zuko had backed off and called out for help. 

Instead of running to go and find their mother like Zuko would or shout obscenities in frustration like Azula, Tadashi confronted the thief and had managed to hold his own against the intruder, much to the young princess’s delight. The bout between the young man and the prince lasted for minutes yet Tadashi felt his breath grow heavier every second. The thief, who was clearly a non-bender, would swipe and kick at the young prince who dodged as nimbly as he could, using a footing technique he learnt by watching Ty Lee. As the palace guards could be heard approaching, the thief grew desperate and brought out a dagger, throwing it in the direction of Azula who was taken by surprise. 

The fight didn’t last much longer after that.

The encounter had been the first time that Azula truly acknowledged Tadashi as one of her elder brothers. Their mother had shouted at Tadashi for being reckless and not waiting for the palace guards, his father had spoken to him briefly for the first time in many weeks, telling him that he did a great service for his country by saving Azula. All he had to show for it was a scar on his hand, where he had accidentally caught the blade with his hand. Of course Azula came to see him as soon as the palace physicians finished bandaging the wound, she poked and made fun of Tadashi’s foolishness but he could see the faint traces of recognition in her voice and that made it all worth it.

Of course, that was a long time ago.

“No, it means Uncle's a quitter and a loser.” Tadashi recognised the voice as Azula’s, so he approached the scene quietly whilst his siblings talked.

“What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter!” Zuko protested angrily.

“Oh yes he is! He found out his son died and he just fell apart! A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying.”

That news shocked Tadashi. Although Uncle Iroh had never given him special attention, Lu Ten was always a welcome face, had always spoken words of encouragement and was one of the few people that he could call a friend. Tadashi closed his eyes and sighed, letting his thoughts clear before listening again to Zuko.

“How do you know what he should do? He's probably just sad his only kid is gone. Forever.” Zuko asked.

Tadashi found himself nodding in agreement, which only seemed logical in his mind. Before anything further could be said, their mother had stepped into the hall the three were in and everyone turned to face her.

“Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up!”

Zuko didn’t say another word and ran towards his room, going past Tadashi but failing to see him. Azula however had decided to stick around, clearly harbouring a question as Tadashi recognised the look on his sister's face.

“Fire Lord Azulon ... Can't you just call him 'Grandfather'? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon.”

That shocked Tadashi. He knew his sister could be quite the bold person but even she should know that there were limits to what a princess could get away with.

“Young lady! Not another word!” their mother spoke angrily, her hands tightening into fists.

As Azula ran past, she had that look in her eyes that meant she’d order her servants to prepare several fresh sets of clothes for her. She glanced to her side ever so slightly, meeting Tadashi’s gaze for a mere second before she continued on her way.

“What is wrong with that-” Ursa started before catching herself, “I know you are there Tadashi.”

The boy gasped, wondering how his mother had spotted him, before coming out like a caught criminal. He noticed that she gave him the same look she always saved for him, a pained smile that always made his stomach ache. 

“How did you know?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“A mother knows these things,” she replied without thinking, “but why are you dressed already?”

“Naoko,” he simply stated.

“Ah,” Ursa replied, that name alone enough to satisfy her question, “so you knew then?”

Tadashi was caught off-guard for a second, unable to comprehend what she meant.

“Oh, you mean what happened to cousin? No, I only learnt just a few moments ago listening to Azula.”

“I see,” she said, “well you better join your brother and sister, it’s time to appear before Fire Lor- I mean your grandfather,”

He immediately noticed the face his mother made when she corrected herself, it must have felt uncomfortable addressing his grandfather in such a way, but he couldn’t understand why.

“OK,” Tadashi nodded, turning on the spot to catch up with Zuko and Azula.

It was custom for siblings to enter the Fire Lord’s chamber from eldest to youngest. Tadashi didn’t need a reason for his family to pay any less attention to him so it was a rule he followed to the letter at every possibility. 

The Fire Lord’s chambers were hot. The warmth exuded was not the comfortable kind that Iroh’s own chambers held, but a much harsher and fanatical flame that could lash out at any moment. The meeting started as all other meetings normally did; their father would exchange pleasantries with the Fire Lord whilst he in turn would ask short and quick questions about the children's upbringing. When their father questioned Zuko about the exploits of their great grandfather, Tadashi noticed the small smirk that grew on Azula’s face and the grimace that their mother held.

For the moment, Zuko seemed to be holding his own, barely able to answer the questions but still showing that he was knowledgeable on the subject.

“And how was it Great-Grandfather Sozin managed to win the Battle of Han Tui?” their father asked, his voice seemed to already be bored of this proceeding.

Azula’s smirk widened even more as Zuko struggled to answer. Tadashi wanted to speak out, having learnt about the battle in great detail but was beaten to the punch by Azula who spoke in that tone that clearly displayed a sense of superiority.

“Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defences burned to a crisp in minutes.”

Tadashi nodded in agreement, meeting eyes with Azula for a split-second who seemed delighted by the proud smirk he gave her.

“Correct, my dear. Now, would you show your grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?” their father spoke once more, clearly giving Azula her cue to stand up.

What proceeded was a form of firebending that was meant to be performed by those nearer to Zuko’s age. She spun in several promising twists, throwing fire as if it was second nature and going through the forms of advanced techniques that Zuko had just started learning. The entire routine finished with a graceful flare, evident by the proud smile on their fathers face.

“She's a true prodigy! Just like her grandfather for whom she's named.”

Once again Tadashi had to agree. For such a young girl Azula was certainly talented. On her way back to her siblings she grinned happily in Tadashi’s direction before smirking towards Zuko, who had watched the whole procession with amazement.

“You’ll never catch up….” Tadashi heard her whisper.

“Tadashi, you were not present at the last meeting due to your broken leg. Perhaps you shouldn’t demonstrate anything today?”

The double meaning of his father’s words weren’t lost on Tadashi. It was true that he missed the last meeting, two months ago, because he fractured his leg in a firebending experiment he conducted with Azula. It was the first time that Azula had gotten reprimanded by their father for acting dangerously which surprised even their mother. However, the words their father spoke today meant something completely different. If he were to make a fool of himself in front of their grandfather then he would certainly regret it. Fortunately, Tadashi had spent that year practicing in secret, and constantly studying the archives the palace contained on bending to prove to his family that he could be useful. This was something he had to do. 

“I’m ready!” he stood up dramatically, earning a look of surprise from their father who didn’t say another word yet watched intently.

Tadashi felt the gaze of his grandfather and managed to resist the urge to quiver. This was his moment and no one was going to take it away from him. He walked over to the spot where Azula had stood moments before and took a deep breath to push away any concerns that popped into his mind. He started in a similar fashion to his sister, arms brought inwards, then outwards falling into the stance that he had practiced hundreds of times alone.

Without looking he could feel the gaze of everyone in the room as he brought his hands to release the first fireball. The rising tension, expectation and most important of all attention on him was more than enough to raise the boy’s spirits. 

However as he punched out the rather large ball of dark grey smoke there was no doubt that everyone was shocked. Tadashi continued, producing enough smoke to make a ring around his body. The display was certainly unique in the sense that no self-respecting firebender would be proud of their ability to make smoke, and not fire, but Tadashi continued regardless. He could feel the temper of his father rising and just before he knew he would call out in anger he performed his second trick of the little performance he put on.

The smoke suddenly ignited. Rapidly and in all directions a ring of orange and red flames seemed to explode from the smoke, Tadashi directing the heat with small and precise manoeuvres. He was too busy concentrating on his form but could tell that the trick had done its job and surprised his family completely. From there he went into a routine of creating gusts of smoke, turning and simultaneously creating another gust as he ignited the one behind him. To those observing him, it seemed like he had a shield of fire protecting his back at all times.

Tadashi could feel his breath starting to waver, he couldn’t keep this up for too much longer and if he wanted to finish on a strong note he’d need to act now. Using the framework of a cross-step waltz he read about in scrolls, he brought in all the excess smoke, fire and energy around his body back into the palm of his hand. Small beads of sweat were already dropping from his forehead as he poured more energy into the sphere of fire in his hand. The fire circled in place creating a sphere the size of an apple, the smoke would cause tiny eruptions like miniature solar flares and the chi he poured into this trick would make the flames spin faster and faster, growing hotter by the second. As he had practiced many times before, Tadashi turned his hand around, throwing the ball of fire in the air at the same time. He closed his fist, not in an attempt to put the fire out but to actually condense the energy into a smaller ball. This action he had practiced the most after his smoke ignition trick and for one reason only. As the ball got as small as it dared, the remaining smoke that had settled into the innards of the sphere exploded in a violent reaction and a shower of blue embers scattered around Tadashi in a grandiose fashion.

For mere moments the boy was too shocked at his accomplishment that he almost forgot to bow to his grandfather, a mistake he quickly corrected in the astonishment his firebending created. No one spoke as Tadashi breathed heavily, trying to collect as much energy as possible to repeat his actions if asked.

“Incredible, even in your absence you have shown the drive to become a true firebender, much like your grandfather before you.” His father spoke slowly and carefully.

Although he knew that the words at the end were more for their grandfather’s benefit than anyone else he couldn’t help but let the words go to his head.

His father was actually proud of him.

“I see you have unlocked the art of blue fire,” Fire Lord Azulon spoke in a tone that sounded wise yet frightening. “You have also utilised smoke in your bending. Usually a substance that all firebenders want to avoid creating yet you found an application for it, certainly impressive.”

Tadashi bowed in acknowledgement, unable to see the small smirk that formed on his grandfather’s lips as he already started envisioning applications of his smoke attacks for the war effort.

“Today you have shown me two promising children Ozai, how about your eldest son? Will he show the genius of Azula or the brilliance of your second son?” Fire Lord Azulon spoke.

Tadashi couldn’t help but internally wince when he wasn’t called by name, but he wouldn’t let anything keep him down, not now when he had just accomplished a feat that even the Fire Lord couldn’t; blue fire. Before Prince Ozai could respond to the Fire Lord’s question Zuko stood up and spoke defiantly, mimicking the action Tadashi took before his performance.

“I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning.” It was clear from the way he spoke that the anger he held would cloud his judgement, but no one challenged him.

As Tadashi returned to his place between Zuko and Azula he glanced at his parents. His father was already looking at Zuko with a frown, their mother had another pained look on her face but this one was full of worry not sadness. As he got closer to his position he could see Azula stuck between gloating towards Zuko in an attempt to bait him into a mistake and gazing towards Tadashi with eyes of pride and slight jealousy.

“You won’t be the only one producing blue fire,” she said as Tadashi knelt next to her.

“I look forward to the day, but in the meantime I could give you pointers,” he teased, earning a playful grimace from his younger sister.

Their attention was drawn to Zuko as he reached the same spot where Tadashi and Azula had both put on interesting yet varied performances. At first Zuko started off on the right note, his footing was somewhat slow and shaky but he was sliding into the correct forms. His circular motions almost mimicked Azula’s however the pale blast of fire he created was not impressive at all. As he tried again and again it became apparent that he wouldn’t stop his failing act until he got it right once, something that a prince of the fire nation should not consider doing in front of the Fire Lord. It was their mother who quickly got up and moved to console Zuko, much to the annoyance of everyone else seated.

“I failed.” Zuko said, the sadness in his voice was enough to wash away the jealousy Tadashi felt towards the interaction he had with their mother.

Azula on the other hand was finding it hard to switch between a grimace at the sight of this display of affection and a grin for the failure of Zuko’s performance.

“No. I loved watching you. That's who you are, Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard.”

The words their mother spoke hit both Tadashi and Azula. Both suddenly started wondering why she would never say such a thing to them, only to Zuko who seemed to be her favourite. Tadashi’s thoughts darkened even more so when he thought that even their father favoured Azula over them all, barely speaking to Tadashi and treating Zuko as if he were a failed project.

To Tadashi, the kind words his mother spoke were sickening, enough to make him want to lash out. He was thankful when the Fire Lord clicked his tongue and spoke out, clearly annoyed by the sudden turn of events.

“Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp? Just tell me what you want. Everyone else, go!”

At those words he was glad to leave, waiting for his mother to leave first with Zuko behind him before walking next to Azula. The young firebender then tapped him on the shoulder and placed a finger to her lips before leaning closer and whispering in his ear.

“Time to tease Zuzu some more,” she said with a playful smirk and dashed forwards grabbing Zuko and pulling him off to the side.

Tadashi thought to himself for a moment but decided against following them, he was too tired to walk normally let alone sneak around the throne room and he didn’t want to risk getting all the blame if they got caught, knowing that he’d willingly take any blame off his younger sister. As he stumbled out of the throne room Tadashi tripped on something unseen and landed into his mother’s arms. Ursa had turned around sensing that there was a lack of children behind her only to see Tadashi stumble and fall.

“Are you ok?” she asked, waving for one of the guards to call a physician.

“Just exhausted,” Tadashi managed to let out, earning an inquisitive look from his mother.

“Where are your brother and sister?” she asked.

Tadashi contemplated whether to lie or not but decided against doing so. He could see that his mother would see through anything false he fed her. There was no way his skills were up to par with Azula, at least not yet.

“They decided to stick around,” Tadashi mumbled.

His mother frowned, her mouth opened seemingly wanting to tell off Tadashi for letting them go. But she decided against it. The two stayed like that for a while, waiting for the palace physician to come.

“I’m proud of you too,” she suddenly said.

Tadashi couldn’t help but gasp, he had never heard those words from his mother but there was no way that she didn’t mean it.

“I probably don’t say this enough but I’m glad that you’re here and get along well with both Zuko and Azula.”

That statement made him feel guilty, it was true that his relationship with Azula was good. They would tease each other and act competitively in their firebending training. Zuko on the other hand was different. Because he spent too much time by himself or with their mother it was hard to approach him. Sure they were brothers and still talked every now and then. They didn’t hate each other and often ate lunch together but their relationship seemed nothing more than a script that the two followed during their day to day lives. It was then that Tadashi made a promise to himself to spend more time with his brother, perhaps even helping him with his bending.

The palace physician arrived, an old man who seemed older than anyone else in the world yet moved with the elasticity of a teenager. He took a quick look at the young boy before anyone could even move and nodded to himself.

“Ginseng Tea and rest, not particularly in that order” he said to no one in particular but Ursa nodded. “He must have expended a lot more energy than usual, a common ailment for firebenders in training.”

The explanation seemed to be enough because without a word he turned around and left, his head twitching ever so slightly as he mumbled something to himself.

“Naoko!” Ursa called, surprised by how quick the servant stepped out of the shadows and bowed in place.

“I take it, you heard then? Take Tadashi to his room, he needs some rest and when he wakes up give him some tea,” she ordered then looking towards another guard, “You, help her take my son to his room.”

Despite the simplicity of the statement, Tadashi was caught off guard once more as his mother had called him her son in public. He couldn’t help but feel a happiness deep inside his heart. Naoko and the guard quickly moved to lift up Tadashi, allowing Ursa to stand up and walk away without another word. The three moved towards the young boy’s room, trying to limit the amount of walking he had to do as they traversed up a set of stairs. When they reached the door to the room Naoko turned towards the guard and insisted she could take it from here. The guard just shrugged and bowed towards Tadashi before leaving, hoping to get back to his post before anyone bothered to question why he had left his post.

It was difficult for Naoko to help Tadashi take off the outer layer of clothing he was wearing and into more comfortable garments. During that time the young boy had been mumbling words of joy, pride and surprise. His apparent happiness was enough to make Naoko smile, glad that her master was happy.

“I take it everything went well,” she spoke softly, ensuring that no one was entering the room at that moment.

Tadashi, who was now in bed, looked up towards his servant with heavy eyes but a satisfied smile on his face before speaking.

“Yeah, it went very well.” He spoke, drifting off to sleep within seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of someone barging into Tadashi’s room stirred him from his sleep. Although he wouldn’t admit it, he was glad for the intrusion. The dream he was having moments ago was more horrid than most other days. Images of a faceless man and woman shooting blasts of fire at a baby Tadashi. The figure of an ancient man, his features indescribably from the shadow created by a huge flame.

“Tadashi wake up!” Azula whispered aloud, slapping her brother’s face several times.

“Wha-? How long has it been? Why are you hitting me?” Tadashi asked with a slurred voice.

“Never mind that, follow me!” she replied, pulling on her brother's arm.

Tadashi reluctantly got out of bed, still wearing most of the clothes he had worn when facing his grandfather. He spied Naoko who was kneeling in the corner, most likely hoping to avoid any confrontation with Azula. In fact Tadashi was surprised that his younger sister hadn’t said anything to her yet, most usual encounters would start with Azula taunting the girl about her brown hair or putting her down about her status as a servant in which case Tadashi would come between the two and attempt to distract Azula with a new firebending trick. This time however Azula was more excited than usual, almost bouncing on her feet to pull Tadashi out of the room.

Normally Tadashi would be happy that his sister was giving him so much attention, even to the extent that she would seek him out, but if Azula was happy like this then something was certainly wrong.

“What is it?” Tadashi asked, rubbing the edge of his eyes with annoyance.

“It’s about Zuzu,” Azula stated, “Father was speaking with grandfather for almost an hour after you left.”

‘Well at least I slept for  _ that  _ long…’ Tadashi chuckled inwardly.

The two kept on moving until they came up to Zuko’s room, no one was around so they slipped in quickly.

“Dad's going to kill you!” she started singing playfully, before her voice grew serious, “Really, he is.”

“Ha-ha, Azula. Nice try.” Zuko replied bitterly.

Tadashi looked at Azula, although she had her usual playful smile on he was certain that this time she wasn’t lying.

“Fine, don't believe me. But I heard everything. Grandfather said Dad's punishment should fit his crime.” She spoke, before attempting to imitate their grandfather, “You must know the pain of losing a first-born son. By sacrificing your own!"

“Liar!” Zuko shouted, turning to face Tadashi with a glare.

Tadashi simply shrugged before turning to Azula.

“He wouldn’t really say that?” Tadashi asked, even though he knew what the answer would be.

Azula tilted her head towards Tadashi and raised an eyebrow at her brother’s question, giving him a look that said ‘really?’ before sighing.

“Of course he said that, I'm only telling Zuzu for his own good. I know! Maybe he could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt him!”

“Stop it! You're lying! Dad would never do that to me!” Zuko’s rage seemed to be growing with every word.

However when a fourth person slipped into the room and spoke everyone froze.

“Your father would never do what to you? What is going on here?” their mother asked.

Tadashi immediately looked towards the ground, knowing that they’d been caught teasing Zuko, even if he didn’t really say anything.

“I don't know...” Azula nonchalantly spoke.

“Tadashi?” their mother asked expectantly.

“Well…..I don’t know, I only woke up a few minutes ago.” He spoke truthfully, glancing at the frown his mother was giving him, “but it’s probably got something to do with the meeting to-“

Tadashi scowled as Azula kicked him in the leg.

“It's time for a talk!”

Their mother dragged Azula away from the others, forcing the young girl to reluctantly follow. She turned to scowl at Tadashi.

“That’s for slapping me earlier….” He whispered.

Upon hearing Tadashi’s words, Azula’s scowl turned into a smirk, her eyes rolled in an ‘I’ll get you next time’ sort of way.

“I wonder what that was all about.” Tadashi said after Azula and their mother had left, glancing at his brother who was clutching the bed sheet tightly.

“Azula always lies. Azula always lies….” He continually spoke, annoying Tadashi slightly. 

“Is she really that bad?” he asked in response.

Zuko seemed to wake up from his trance and glared at Tadashi, hopping out of bed and stomping towards his younger sibling.

“You only say that because you two get along!” he argued.

“Well if you didn’t hang around mom all the time I’m sure you’d get along with her as well!” Tadashi replied.

“She’s crazy though, the other day she set one of the servant’s robes on fire.” Zuko fiddled with his clothing before looking back at Tadashi.

“Really?”

“Exactly,” Zuko said smugly, “She even called the palace physician over because one of her nails didn’t grow like she planned.” 

“Oh, that did happen.” Tadashi conceded the argument with a sigh, “I guess she can be a bit…..”

“Troublesome?” both boys spoke together.

They paused, looking at each other in mock surprise before laughing. Zuko was the first to speak after a few moments.

“We should do this more often.”

“Hang out or mock Azula?” Tadashi asked with a smirk.

“Hang out, although I wouldn’t mind the second option either,” Zuko replied.

The two stood there for a few moments, taking in the silence. Azula’s words reverberated in their heads, a thought that neither of them wanted to be true.

“Do you think she was lying?” Zuko asked somewhat timidly.

“I don’t know….” Tadashi shrugged, not wanting to believe those words either.

Again they stood, unsure of what they should do. Tadashi’s stomach then made a sound, making Zuko laugh until the same happened to him.

“Should we head to the kitchen and see if we can rescue some Fire Gummies?” Tadashi asked with a grin.

“From the treacherous hands of the killer kitchen staff? Sure!” Zuko joined in, running off towards the kitchen.

Both ran with bright smiles on their faces, the words that had been spoken earlier were quickly forgotten as they indulged themselves with the game their minds concocted. 

* * *

Tadashi, for the first night in many, slept peacefully. Despite going through a multitude of events (some major and others minor) he couldn’t have asked for a better day. 

Azula was Azula. He would never ask anything more of her, or rather he couldn’t. By creating a blue fire, something he had only read about in scrolls, he had set the bar in terms of firebending. Even if it hadn’t been verbally confirmed, he knew that Azula would be pestering him in the future in a race to not only catch-up but out-firebend him. That much couldn’t be avoided but Tadashi didn’t mind their competitive yet playful relationship. 

Zuko was slightly different. They both found Azula annoying at times (Zuko to a much worse degree then Tadashi), they both enjoyed eating spicy food, something their mother claims comes from her side of the family. Today they’d broken down a barrier that was keeping them apart, it seemed like they were going to spend more time together.

His father and grandfather had finally acknowledged his abilities, it had taken years of practice to get to the level he was and it paid off during that one performance. All he had ever wanted was for his father to acknowledge his presence as a prince of the Fire Nation and today his goal was realised. His mother on the other hand was still a mystery, the words she had spoken still wrapped his heart in guilt. All the disdain he held towards her evaporated yet a part of him still longed for the relationship she shared with Zuko. To the prince, it was her fault and not his brothers doing. He made a promise to himself to try and understand her more, something he would regretfully admit to not doing enough.

Sleep came easily, so much so that he barely recognised when his mother entered the room and sat by his bed. In his current state he was barely perceptible of her heavy breathing. He could tell that she was either tired or extremely nervous, that much he had picked up over the years from watching his family. She carefully placed a hand over Tadashi’s head and sighed.

“I’m so sorry, you should never have had to live this life.” Her words were slow and steady.

Ursa pulled back her trembling hand, unsure of what to do anymore, she sighed to herself and pulled away from the half-sleeping boy.

Tadashi continued to let himself drift to sleep. He was barely registering the words his mother spoke yet unable to hold back the tears that were escaping his closed eyes. For hours he stayed like that, turning every now and then in frustration, the words echoing around his head as if he were some lost cause. In fact he almost found solace when a loud and childish voice stirred him from his sleep once more.

Almost.

“Brother, I’ve got some interesting news!”

Azula ran into Tadashi’s room and jumped onto the bed, shaking Tadashi awake.

“Ugh…..it’s not even sunrise yet,” Tadashi groaned, turning away from the small firebender.

“But mother is gone, oh and grandfather passed away.” She spoke, knowing it would catch her brother’s attention.

Tadashi almost jumped out of the bed, frowning slightly before coming to terms with what Azula said.

“Really? Does that mean Uncle Iroh will be the new Fire Lord?” Tadashi asked curiously.

Azula put on a face of mock surprise, putting her hand over her mouth whilst holding back a giggle.

“And how about mother? You don’t seem sad that she’s suddenly disappeared?”

Tadashi thought to himself for a moment, the voice he had been thinking of whilst sleeping long lost from his mind. He couldn’t help but feel angry for some reason so wasn’t surprised by his own words.

“Are you? If she really left without saying goodbye then it has nothing to do with me.”

Azula was surprised for a second, she knew that the relationship between the two was awkward for a mother and son, but she never expected those words to come from her brother.

“I guess not,” Azula admitted, her face changed for a few moments to one Tadashi recognised as genuine sadness.

Tadashi patted her head, an action he’d rarely do and one that Azula would never usually allow him to get away with.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be here to play pranks on you,” he gave Azula a smile, genuinely grateful he has a sister that approves of him.

Azula almost smiled, a pure happy smile that Tadashi hadn’t seen since she was a baby. But then, her mouth changed into a smirk, befitting that of the manipulative prodigy he knew. She withdrew a knife, one Tadashi recognised as a gift from their Uncle Iroh to Zuko.

“How did yo-” Tadashi began to ask when Azula placed a finger on her lips.

“That’s a secret, but I’m going to find Zuzu now, I bet he’ll be devastated!” Azula giggled in delight as she jumped off the bed and ran off to find her eldest brother.

Tadashi frowned slightly, he didn’t know what to say or think but he knew that Zuko would need a friendly shoulder to cry on later. As he tucked himself back into bed he thought another five minutes of sleep wouldn’t hurt either.

* * *

Within hours, arrangements for Fire Lord Azulon’s funeral had been complete and Zuko, Tadashi and Azula were standing beside their father garbed in the ceremonial cloaks worn at such events. Tadashi tried to gauge how the others were feeling but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Zuko was still upset, most likely missing their mother, Azula was bored, sighing every other second and their father seemed to be tapping his foot impatiently. A quiet scoff could be heard every time someone would offer their condolences.

“Where’s Uncle Iroh?” Tadashi leaned to the side and asked Azula.

“Still on his way home from Ba Sing Se. He  _ is _ a failure and shouldn’t be allowed to be here anyway.” Azula grimaced, having missed out on firebending training to attend this funeral.

Tadashi simply nodded and straightened his posture, attempting to look as sad as possible without looking weak. It was a look he had learned by watching his father and perfected years ago whenever his parents forgot to include him in their plans. All of a sudden one of the fire sages stood forwards and started speaking.

“Azulon. Fire Lord to our great nation for twenty-three years. You were our fearless leader in the Battle of Garsai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Xin Provinces. You were father of Iroh, father of Ozai, husband of Ilah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko, Tadashi and Azula.”

The smell of burning flesh threatened to fill the area when two attendants bent fire into the casket. The wood had been heavily drowned in perfume to help mask the smell but it did nothing to alleviate the disgusting feeling in Tadashi’s stomach, something his siblings seem to share.

“We lay you to rest. As was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son.” The fire sage continued speaking.

Tadashi’s head snapped to the side, looking at his father that now had a stern expression on his face. He looked back to Azula and confirmed that she had known all along, their father was now the new Fire Lord. It all made sense why the funeral was planned and conducted before their uncle could return. Not knowing what to feel, Tadashi realised what this all meant, if his father was the new Fire Lord then Zuko would become the crown prince and he’d be second in-line for the throne.

Everything made much more sense to the boy, the reason why their mother disappeared, the meeting between their father and grandfather and now why their Uncle didn’t get a chance to come home in time. Although he struggled to put all the pieces together Tadashi couldn’t help but smirk in admiration for such a well thought out plan. In his mind such an act, especially as Uncle Iroh had no child, meant that the Fire Nation would prosper for much longer. As the Fire Sage began hailing the new Fire Lord, Tadashi turned to Azula who had put on the biggest grin he had seen from her all day. Zuko on the other hand was seemingly terrified as he shuffled backwards, wanting to run away, but Tadashi grabbed his hand and raised an eyebrow, mentally slapping his elder brother who seemed to understand what Tadashi was doing. It goes without saying if Zuko was to bail now then it would be the ultimate disrespect towards their father and no one, especially not their missing mother, would be able to stop him.

“Hail Fire Lord Ozai!” the crowd cheered, waves of approval reaching the new Fire Lord who smirked triumphantly.

In his heart, Tadashi approved too, but subconsciously his mind was already planning something far crueller.


	3. Chapter 3

The next two months passed quietly, much to Tadashi’s annoyance. Everyone kept themselves busy, including his father the new Fire Lord. With a complete reconfiguration of the higher administration, Fire Lord Ozai banished those that he didn’t trust, although simply sending them away would be too apparent of his mistrust. Instead he sent them on glorified suicide missions, martyrs to the Fire Nation cause and an inspiration for new soldiers who were enlisted into the army.

Uncle Iroh was oddly absent. He would visit from time to time, speaking with Zuko whenever he returned. But he was never seen at any other time. Azula would often say that he was wallowing in his failure, a thought that Tadashi himself saw as pitiful. If it weren’t for the fact that his Uncle had often given him pointers on his firebending and was the inspiration behind the smoke-style he developed, Tadashi was sure he’d see him in the same light as Azula.

Zuko had strangely opened up more, although it was merely artificial. Whenever Tadashi and his elder brother would meet each other, the older boy would try to hide his grief and put on a mask of indifference. Tadashi of course would pretend not to notice and play along with the charade, something that Zuko seemed to appreciate. The two would practice their bending sometimes, often sparing. Zuko would struggle to keep up with his younger brother but managed to find the drive to even the odds, even if the resulting fire came out raw and inaccurate. 

Azula was the only one that didn’t let the surrounding events affect her. She focused on the one spark of blue flame that Tadashi had created and spent all her free time practicing. The moments where Tadashi glimpsed at her training program were impressive, great plumes of red fire released in every attack, but the young girl would always shout at him to leave, annoyed by his presence, even throwing fire at him until he went away. 

That was until this week.

“Brother, come quick!” she whispered aloud, pulling the boy by the sleeve into one of the palace training rooms.

“Yes, I’m coming,” Tadashi murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

He wanted to swear, it was the middle of the night and Azula had snuck into his room, stealthily getting by the guards patrolling and dragged him into one of the sparring rooms. As Tadashi closed the door, he sighed to himself, stifling a yawn and turning to face the young girl who was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“I did it!” she spoke, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Did what?” Tadashi asked.

Instead of replying, Azula got into her firebending stance and started making the same motions she had done two months ago, her arms falling outwards and inwards into the correct stances but what came next was a surprise.

Smoke, great big puffs of it, surrounded Azula like a trail of dark clouds. As she moved she created rings of the ash-like air on the ground, using heat to slowly rise it. Then with a display of finesse the room exploded with a breathtakingly immense wave of blue fire. A mixture of intense flames soared through the air, enough to make Tadashi unconsciously sweat. Azula had mimicked her elder brother’s performance and perfected it. Every movement was made deliberate and with grace, yet the fire felt harsh and cold, ready to strike through the heart of any opponent. With a final series of moves the young girl drew the remaining flickers of fire and smoke into a ball. The motion was similar to Tadashi’s own performance, but instead of condensing the flames she expanded the ball. This resulted in the room being filled by a surreal glow, more than enough to entrance the boy who watched in amazement. The ball continually expanded until Tadashi noticed that he was slowly backing away.

“Umm…..Azula-” Tadashi wanted to warn her sister but saw the intense look on her face.

A soft scoff escaped his mouth as he couldn’t help but smile, taking in his sister’s hard work for the first time in months. With reluctance, Tadashi stepped back and as he did so the ball of fire visibly started wavering. Just as it would seem like Azula has lost control she used a swift motion to disperse the flames, breaking down her own fire into a shower of blue embers that decorated the hall's ceiling. It was a sight that Tadashi made a note to never forget.

The two stood there for moments, the girl unable to speak, drawing great breaths despite her small frame and the boy who didn’t know what he could say, his mind taking in the sight his sister decided to share with him.

“Well, what do you think?” Azula asked expectantly.

Tadashi paused, looking back at the girl who was waiting somewhat impatiently. Her whole form suited a ruler, someone of exceptional confidence in their abilities. But Tadashi could see it, the moments of hesitation, the way her lip would waver or her eyes would briefly look away. Thoughts that were nothing but envious of her ability surfaced, the need to point out how childish her desire to copy him or find non-existent flaws in her performance. Thinking of such things, Tadashi walked forwards, taking a deep breath and pushing the negativity away. As he wrapped his arms around her, surprising even himself, he couldn’t help but feel happy. A feeling that he never thought he’d experience so much for another person.

“I’m exceptionally proud,” he spoke quietly, stifling a laugh as the young girl's body stiffened, “you did so well, I’m sure father would say the same thing.”

“Really?” Azula asked, and for once her voice conveyed nothing but honest curiosity.

Tadashi pulled away from the girl, giving her a confident smirk.

“I’m sure of it,” his hand rubbed Azula’s head, much to her annoyance.

“Well of course it was exceptional. I’m going to become the best firebender in history, and it’s only natural I display such talents now.” She spoke with as much arrogance as a ten year old girl could muster.

Tadashi, one to not let such an opportunity pass, came up with a similar reply.

“Yes, of course!” he said exaggeratedly, “It’s a shame that I’ve already come up with a new use for firebending, something you’ve never even thought about!”

Azula looked at him incredulously, trying to stifle a set of giggles.

“Oh yes, I do mean it. Of course I’d be more than happy to teach my precious little sister some new tricks……….if she were to swear fealty to me?” Tadashi purposefully paused before he said those last words.

Azula’s face almost contorted into one of rage before she picked up the meaning of his words, a deep blush formed on her face as she attempted to maintain eye contact with Tadashi.

“You know if father heard those words they could easily be mistaken for treason?” Azula stated, placing one hand on her hip, “Of course I’ll forgive your foolishness this time.”

The two laughed, happily bantering with each other, demonstrating what they knew from their private training sessions and, before they knew it, many hours had passed.

“Did we stay up the whole night?” Tadashi asked, unable to stop yawning.

There was no answer, in fact as Tadashi looked to Azula who was sitting next to him, her head dropping slightly as she snored quietly. The boy smiled warmly, knowing he had been in the presence of an Azula that not even their father got to see. He moved his hand to wake her but paused, deciding to carry her back to her room instead. The journey back was thankfully uneventful, the guards either too tired or bored to patrol properly, dawn only a few hours away. As Tadashi crept back into his room he couldn’t wipe the smug grin of his face, it wasn’t that he was exceptionally happy but that he had not been bluffing earlier, he really did know a new trick to teach Azula.

“I wonder what Zuko would say if he saw that performance?” Tadashi mumbled to himself as he slipped into his room, quickly drifting back to sleep.

* * *

With everything seemingly fallen into a steady pace, life continued somewhat peacefully for those within the Fire Lord's family. Azula had her friends over more often and the trio of girls would play pranks and practice their unique talents. Tadashi had learnt that Mai and Zuko harboured feelings for each other. The way they would glance at one another before looking away in embarrassment weirded him out. He couldn’t understand why Zuko would act that way but Tadashi felt awkward around them regardless. Out of Azula’s two friends, Mai never really spoke to him, often saying a curt greeting before moving along with Azula or looking for Zuko. Ty Lee was more approachable, having taken an interest in Tadashi. He too couldn’t help but admit that he admired the athletic ability she held, her acrobatics were advanced for her age. The day that he asked if she could teach him surprised her, but she readily accepted, more than happy that someone appreciated the work she put into her abilities.

Before they knew it a year had passed since the day Fire Lord Ozai was crowned and the group of five had grown somewhat close, although tensions between Azula and Zuko never seemed to settle. One particular afternoon the group had been given time to spend on Ember Island, relaxing by the beach but also chaperoned by the twins Lo and Li. 

“Let’s do something,” Azula stated, bored from staring at the ocean for the third time that day.

“Like what?” Mai asked.

“I know!” Ty Lee jumped to her feet,” Why don’t we go exploring the local jungles? I bet we can find some amazing flora there!”

Azula sighed, contemplating what her friend had said whilst gazing at Zuko and Tadashi who were busy playing a popular children's game called Sho. Zuko had put up a good effort, using his Silver Generals to protect his King with a valiant effort, but Tadashi had used an underhanded technique by sacrificing his Gold General and a quarter of his army to stealthily promote his Rook and two Silver Generals. With the promotion to his units, Tadashi’s win was all but assured.. Although Azula found such games to be a bore, she couldn’t help but admire the skill that a tactical game like Sho forced you to use. Not only had Tadashi been several steps ahead of Zuko but the elder brother had not even realised it.

With a sudden flash of inspiration an idea formed in her head. She leaned towards Ma, who was lying down beside her, and whispered in her ear. Ty Lee looked at the two curiously before ignoring them and practicing her handstands. After Azula had finished talking, she got up, motioning for Mai and Ty Lee to follow and walked over to where Lo and Li were sunbathing, finding it hard not to grimace at their decrepit bodies.

“Lo, Li, we’re going exploring.” Azula stated.

Both women glanced at one another for a second before nodding in respect.

“Be careful Princess Azula,” Lo spoke.

With a curt nod, Azula turned on her heel and left, followed closely by her two friends. Tadashi, facing the direction that the trio were coming from, glanced briefly towards Azula who placed a finger to her lips. The boy sighed, rolling his eyes and focusing back on the board.

“Why did we start playing this again?” Zuko suddenly asked, frustrated that he didn’t know what to do next.

“Because,” Tadashi spoke in an all-knowing tone, “this will help you when thinking of military strategies.” 

“It’s just a stupid game!” Zuko replied, throwing his arms in the air.

“That may be true, but if you treat all your units like they’re special you’ll get nowhere.”

Zuko gave his brother a surprised look, taking in his words before speaking slowly.

“I never knew you’d be so…..blunt.” he said, somewhat disappointed.

“Blunt? I’m not sure you have the right word there, but I’ll do what it takes to ensure that the majority of my forces return safely. It’s a mixture of saving resources, manpower and approval. Be sure to remember that manpower and approval aren’t the same thing, a man with outward courage dares to die but a man with inner courage dares to live…..or something like that.” Tadashi spoke.

“You sound like Uncle,” Zuko chuckled.

“Oh…..I guess I do,” Tadashi frowned slightly before focusing back on the board.

“Anyway, by sacrificing one of my pieces I ensured that the rest were safe and captured the enemy King with ease,” Tadashi moved his Gold General to capture Zuko’s King piece, ending the game. 

Zuko nodded, accepting the loss but already thinking of another strategy to win the next game as Tadashi reset all the pieces. The two continued to play, at times Zuko switched up his tactics and came close to putting Tadashi on edge, but his over caring attitude would always give his brother the victory. Before they knew it the sun had started to set and most of the people who were relaxing at the beach had left.

“Prince Zuko, Prince Tadashi, it is time to go and look for your sister and her friends.” Lo and Li said together.

Zuko turned to face them before remembering what they were wearing and failed to hide his grimace, instead looking back at his younger brother who chuckled in amusement.

“They’re not here?” Zuko asked.

“Apparently not,” Tadashi replied, “We might as well go now.”

The two packed up the Sho set before walking towards the beach house they were staying at, owned by the elderly twins. Azula was waiting by the entrance, an uncharacteristically worried look on her face.

“Oh, Zuzu…..Mai is missing!” she said, with a pained look in her eyes.

“What! How did that happen?” Zuko asked, his face getting paler by the second.

“We were exploring the jungle and got separated, poor Mai didn’t respond to my calls so I came back to find some he-“before she could finish, Zuko was already off.

“Zuko, wait!” Tadashi screamed, but his elder brother ignored him, running down a road that led into the local jungle.

Azula maintained her distressed appearance for all of two seconds after Zuko ran off, preceding to laugh maliciously as tears formed by her eyes.

“Hahaha….brother is such a fool!” She said, turning to face Tadashi.

“So Mai is inside then?” Tadashi asked.

“Of course, she’s not stupid enough to get lost that easily,”

Tadashi paused, somewhat conflicted. He didn’t want to admit that he was impressed by his sister’s acting capabilities, but it was getting late and traversing any jungle in the dark was beyond dangerous.

“I’m going to get Zuko,” he sighed, “No more tricks though, it gets tiring cleaning up after you,”

“Ok,” Azula smiled as she rolled her eyes, clearly making no promises.

Tadashi remained calm as he went after Zuko, walking down the path that led to the edge of the jungle. He didn’t want to spend any time in here, especially as it was possible to run into wild Armadillo bears which tore their prey to shreds without warning. Tadashi unwillingly gulped, taking in his surroundings.

“It would be foolish to shout,” Tadashi murmured to himself, setting his mind into a mild stance.

Taking deep breaths, the boy put his mind at ease and focused on the heat around him. He felt the coolness of the trees, the humidity of the air and the last intense rays of the sun. As nice as those felt, it wasn’t what the young firebender was looking for, so he took a deeper breath, extending his chi further than he had before. The first sign of life he sensed came from a bird, a flock that was nesting in the tall trees the jungle offered. There were small creatures moving along the floor and a komodo rhino grazing not too far away. Frowning in annoyance, Tadashi tried to extend his reach further when the familiar flame of his elder brother popped up.

“Zuko!” he said delightedly, running off in the direction he felt the heat coming from.


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko was visibly shaking. The sun had set, the warmth had left the land and every insect in a 1 km radius was making unbelievable noise.

“Mai!” he shouted for the eighty-seventh time, met only by a chorus of chirps, creeks and caws.

It continued, the same pattern over and over. Zuko would call and the only thing he heard were insects and birds. It frustrated him, hearing nothing yet everything, constantly. It wasn’t long until he regretted his rash decision to enter the jungle, not even bringing Azula or better yet Tadashi with him.

“If I brought Azula I bet she’d leave me for dead,” Zuko chuckled darkly, kicking a stone into a nearby bush, only for a barrage of birds to scatter.

The sudden disturbance unwillingly gave fuel to all the insects, their calls growing louder by the second until Zuko couldn’t stomach it anymore.

“Quiet!” Zuko roared, fire unceremoniously pouring from his fists.

For a second this worked. He had brought peace and quiet to the land. Even if it lasted but a second, Zuko wanted to praise his achievement but he couldn’t help but fall into yet another fit of rage as every small creature called out in a symphony of innate annoyance. Nothing could stop Zuko as he started thrashing about, throwing fire in every direction. He did anything to drown out the noise.

Then  _ it _ roared.

Zuko froze, the insects froze and even the jungle froze as the mighty beast roared with all its might. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that he had just put himself in a bad situation and with no grace ran away from the source of the sound, wary of the thumping noise which came from behind and was proceeding to catch up with him. As thickets and branches whipped past the young firebender, he ran into a small clearing where a pile of rocks formed a cave. Zuko quickly threw a ball of fire at the cave, scaring a poor pack of baby Iguana seals out of their home.

Diving into the hole, Zuko thanked the spirits that the cave was deeper than it looked, because as he saw the Armadillo Bear storm out into the clearing his face went pale. The beast seemed confused, unable to see the person who raised it from its slumber, roaring in annoyance. Luckily for the older boy, Tadashi had been hot on his brother’s trail. Ever since the initial burst of firebending, the boy had been using his honed heat senses to locate the direction that Zuko had went in, then when he reached the first traces of disturbed foliage all it took was following the patch of carnage to reach the spot where the Armadillo Bear was stomping about.

Tadashi crouched behind a downed tree, unable to see Zuko before he saw the quivering form of his older brother inside the rock formation. Unfortunately the Armadillo Bear had noticed too, attempting to claw its way into the cave, but being deflected by the rocks protecting Zuko. The beast raged, moving its heavy body in an attempt to topple the whole structure.

“Help!” Zuko shouted, his voice unable to hide his fear.

Tadashi grimaced, struggling to think of something. Looking around, there was nothing he could use as a weapon, the only tool he had access to was his firebending. Almost smacking his head for forgetting, the boy started releasing smoke, ensuring it remained low and dense. He poured as much energy as he could into the cloud, making it denser than he’d ever attempted before. It took a few minutes, the rocks seemingly able to hold during that time, but Tadashi created a low circle of dense smoke between himself and the beast. Taking a step back, the boy called out.

“Hey ugly! Over here!” Tadashi shouted as he threw a ball of fire at the Armadillo Bear.

As the beast turned around, Tadashi tried to contain the need to run, eyeing the smoke trap he had laid which was slowly filtering away. Fortunately for him the creature took the bait and charged towards the younger boy, running right over the cloud of condensed smoke as Tadashi ignited it.

The resulting explosion was huge, illuminating the evening sky greater than Tadashi imagined it could have. Embers flew in every direction, some of the plants had been singed, but the plants in the Fire Nation were more resilient to fire than any other type of fauna in the world, a useful material for soft armour. Of course this didn’t save the Armadillo Bear who got caught in the epicentre the explosion. To put it lightly, there was nothing left. 

No entrails, no body, nothing.

“Um…..Zuko, it’s safe to come out.” Tadashi mumbled, so surprised by the explosion that he could barely focus his attention on anything else around him.

Zuko was in a similar state of shock, having witnessed first-hand how powerful Tadashi’s nonsensical smoke technique really turned out to be.

“You saved me,” he said after a while.

“Nah, I just went Armadillo Bear hunting,” Tadashi grinned, “I didn’t do too badly considering the circumstances.”

Zuko wanted to give his brother a death stare but found that he couldn’t stop shivering, the ability to kill someone or something in such a brutal way shook him. He didn’t want to look at his brother’s face, even if he had just saved his life, instead focusing back on the reason he had come out here.

“I’m taking it Mai never entered the jungle?” Zuko asked, frowning slightly.

“Nope,” Tadashi replied with a frown of his own, “Azula lied,”

“Doesn’t she always…..” Zuko mumbled.

“Can’t argue with that,” Tadashi chuckled, nudging Zuko slightly, “cheer up, at least we can tell Azula that we took down an Armadillo Bear.”

“We didn’t, it was all you.” Zuko argued.

Tadashi shrugged, already moving back towards civilisation.

“She doesn’t have to know that….”

Zuko paused, giving his brother a small smile as he continued walking.

“Thanks,” he whispered, jogging to catch up to Tadashi.

When they arrived at Lo and Li’s house everyone seemed worried, even Azula. Of course the young girl couldn’t help but laugh as the two boys dragged themselves in and fell with the grace of a seal onto the sofa. Zuko was filthier than he realised, twigs and leaves in his hair and lines of mud on his face. Tadashi was no better, having burnt some of the clothing he wore and appearing to sport a rather awkward tan on his face. 

“What did you do?” Azula asked between fits of laughter, “We saw an explosion earlier. Was that you?”

Before Zuko could say anything Tadashi jumped in, a sly grin on his face as he got up from the sofa.

“You wouldn’t believe it! I with my all powerful smoke technique laid a deadly and efficient trap to capture an Armadillo Bear and when Zuko ignited it…boom!” Tadashi moved his hands for emphasis, “No more Armadillo Bear!”

“Like nothing?” Ty Lee asked, grimacing at the thought.

“Nothing!” Tadashi confirmed, “Completely incinerated!”

Azula tried to nod in approval, finding it hard to believe even though she too saw the explosion from the beach house.

“Zuzu’s fire did that?” she asked sceptically.

“Umm…..yea, why do you ask?” Tadashi questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s impressive,” Mai said, approaching Zuko with a relieved face.

She leant forwards to fondle one of his hair strands when a sudden smell entered her nose, forcing the young girl to recoil in disgust.

“Of course you need to wash first, you stink.” Mai said, moving as far away from Zuko as possible.

“It’s no worse than this room…” Tadashi mumbled, gaining a snort from Ty Lee who immediately looked away hiding the small blush on her face.

* * *

The remaining stay at the Island went about uneventfully, much to Azula’s disappointment. Zuko had confronted her about lying and she went about her normal routine, twisting her words until the older boy couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation. Mai had somehow grown closer to Zuko, the prank that Azula had played showed the quiet girl how much Zuko did care, a feeling she was starting to heavily reciprocate. Ty Lee and Azula were always off in their own worlds, either practising their gymnastic abilities or harassing the locals with orders from ‘the most powerful female in the Fire Nation’. 

Eventually they were all back in the Fire Nation. Uncle Iroh was more active around the palace, talking with generals or inspecting regiments about to depart. Everyone seemed to go about their daily lives with no problems. The Fire Lord had taken more interest in Zuko after Azula told him about the Armadillo Bear incident and Tadashi even gained some recognition for remaining ‘loyal to his family’ as his father put it. Everything was going well and Tadashi found himself at peace, content with his position within the family.

That was until the day Zuko got himself into an Agni Kai.

“What!” Tadashi almost screamed at his servant who instinctively bowed as all servants did.

Tadashi realising that he had just spooked Naoko, immediately apologised and pinched the bridge of his nose, an action he had seen his father and uncle do many times before.

“I bet Azula is ecstatic?” Tadashi mused wistly. 

“Yes, your sister was….um, dancing when she heard the news.”

Tadashi frowned, deep in thought. After a few minutes he decided to change his clothing and head towards the door.

“Um…..wait!” Naoko meekly spoke out, “Lord Iroh asked that you don’t disturb your brother.”

“What?” Tadashi asked, his temper raising by the second.

“Prince Zuko said he didn’t want to speak to you or Princess Azula, Lord Iroh said he’d need all the time he could get to practice before the Agni Kai”

Tadashi sighed, disappointed that Zuko had said such a thing. He climbed back into his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of something he could do. Of course no solution came. 

“Am I a bad brother?”

“No, Pri- Tadashi.” Naoko stuttered as the question caught her off-guard. 

She fiddled with the lining of her clothing, looking at her master who seemed to be more depressed than usual, a side of him that only she saw.

“You’re only saying that because you have to….” Tadashi mumbled. 

Naoko shook her head, moving from her normal position to Tadashi’s bedside. She raised her hand, fighting the urge to take it back and stroked her master’s forehead, an action that always seemed to calm him down.

“You’re kind, smart and sometimes funny Tadashi,” she said quietly, “I wouldn’t have survived here without you and I think everyone is grateful you’re here, even if they don’t show it.” 

“Even father?” Tadashi’s voice could barely be heard.

“Yes, even your father.” Naoko replied, unable to look at the boy whilst speaking.

The two remained like that for a while, Tadashi enjoying the gentle touch that Naoko gave him, until he inadvertently purred. The action caused both to blush immensely as Tadashi attempted to calm his heart. Naoko let out a soft chuckle, smiling at the boy who was a year younger than him.

“I have to go. Other duties to attend to.” She excused herself, slowly backing away from the boy.

Tadashi sighed, looking towards the painting on his wall of a distant Fire Lord- one he didn’t know much about but was named after.

“Perhaps in another life we could have…..” he started, disappointed that he let something like that slip.

Fortunately Naoko had left the room by then, leaving the prince to himself.

* * *

It was the day of the Agni Kai and Tadashi was there, standing beside Azula and their Uncle Iroh, waiting for the duel to begin. The arena was full, ministers and high ranking individuals were all there to see the duel. A hand from behind tapped the left shoulder of the young boy. Tadashi turned to see a man with sideburns and a smug grin on his face.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting?” the man asked, gaining Tadashi’s attention.

The boy didn’t speak, waiting for the man to continue - an act that he copied from his father and seemed to resonate well with the person in front of him.

“I am Lieutenant Zhao, an off-” he started before Tadashi interrupted him.

“I’m sure that’s all well and good, but do you have anything of importance to say Lieutenant? I’m here to watch the Agni Kai not consort with a promoted private.”

Zhao’s face darkened as he tried to maintain his composure. The statement from the young boy had been heard by everyone around him, including his Uncle Iroh who found it amusing enough to distract him from his thoughts. Tadashi took a second to realise that he insulted the man and quickly rectified his mistake.

“Don’t get me wrong, once you are a Captain or even Commander I won’t hesitate to work with you, as it would be expected of me, but for now we are not here to discuss the war but merely watch as spectators.”

Zhao, still clearly angry, decided that the boys' follow up was good enough. He mumbled to himself as he made to walk away, just before the Fire Lord stepped into the arena. As it was expected of everyone, they bowed, greeting the Fire Lord in the traditional manner and waited to see the opponent.

“Why’s father out there?” Tadashi asked, “I thought Zuko insulted a general?”

Azula, who was nearby, shimmied towards her older brother and filled him in on all the details, including the words their father had spoken about the duel. Tadashi’s blood went cold, he would never have expected their father to fight Zuko, especially with the way that they all desperately tried to gain his approval, Azula better at it than anyone else.

“He won’t fight…..” Tadashi mumbled.

“Really?” Azula asked, “Although that  _ does _ fit Zuzu.” 

The next few moments happened so quickly that it felt like a blur to Tadashi. Zuko had indeed stepped onto the field and refused to fight their father, instead asking for forgiveness. Tadashi in his heart hoped that their father would do so but knew better. He’d received the cold shoulder most of his life and understood how heartless their father could be. When the Fire Lord burned his own son Tadashi gasped, unable to look away and entranced by the single act of maliciousness. He didn’t know if he envied the ability to dish out pain so effectively or was terrified by his father’s own lack of mercy. Azula was beaming, a wide grin on her face, and the opposite could be said about their Uncle Iroh who couldn’t even stomach the scene and turned away in shame. 

Zuko’s screams were horrible. Pain, sadness, regret and betrayal all in one heart wrenching torrent of emotion. The boy couldn’t even get up after the attack, after the initial scream he fainted, the pain too much for his body to handle. Uncle Iroh had moved quickly, picking up the fallen boy and taking him away as quietly as possible. The crowds slowly dispersed as Zhao took a step towards Tadashi.

“Weak. Who knew the Fire Lord had such a weak son. Are you like that?” Zhao asked with a sly grin.

Tadashi almost turned around in a fit of rage, planning on lashing out at the man but restrained himself as he remembered that he was still in the presence of Azula and his father.

“Perhaps you’d like to find out?” he said, putting as much venom into his words as possible.

Zhao grimaced, hoping that he would have caught the boy off-guard. 

“You shouldn’t challenge a master, you’ll only get burned.” He retorted.

“So you say,” Tadashi grinned himself, “sounds to me like you’re afraid of getting beat.”

“What!” Zhao put aside any doubt and threw a large fireball in Tadashi’s direction.

Azula who was standing beside Tadashi jumped out of the way as the remaining guests turned around to witness the commotion. The boy blocked the attack, a simple gesture he’d practiced a thousand times over and took several steps back until he was on the field, now being watched by the remaining guests. Azula and his father, who was still on the field but had backed up slowly, were watching the proceeding event with interest.

“I’ll make you swallow those words!” Zhao shouted, throwing more fire towards Tadashi.

The younger boy knew that he could not easily beat his opponent. The difference in age and experience meant that he was only able to block the incoming shots of fire. Even his attempts at dodging the flames were barely successful. The young prince threw a few punches of his own, ferocious in look but doing no real damage to Zhao who batted them aside with ease. Time seemed to slow down for the young bender as he analysed his opponent, looking for a weakness to exploit. The older man was wildly overconfident, barely making an effort to fall into the correct forms which led to wild shots of fire leaving his fists. It was this lack of care that led to Tadashi’s next actions. 

“A grown man is struggling to beat a kid!” Tadashi taunted.

The barrage of fire increased, filling the area with entrails of smoke. Every second the amount of the substance would increase and, before they knew it, a decent level of the stuff had taken the field. Zhao charged forwards, tired of all the dodging and defending, wanting to finish it in as few moves as possible, however he could never have known that this was precisely what Tadashi wanted. The Fire Lord who had been watching from the side. An excited Azula standing beside him, was sporting a devious grin, having caught on to the boys’ plan.

As Zhao jumped, using his fist to send a wave of fire forwards, Tadashi put more strength into his legs and dived to the side, quickly taking position far behind Zhao as he ignited the patch of smoke that Zhao had jumped into. The man jumped to the side, caught off-guard by the sudden intense heat and stumbled into another patch of smoke that Tadashi ignited. Zhao growled, trying to find his bearings, but the young firebender wouldn’t let him do so. Another patch of smoke ignited, and Zhao cursed, shielding his eyes from the heat. This moment was all the prince needed as the Lieutenant never saw Tadashi coming as he ran towards him, leapt into the air and kicked out with his feet, throwing an intense orange flame that was barely tinted by blue embers directly into the Lieutenant’s chest.

Since this wasn’t an official Agni Kai the palace guards were meant to have apprehended Zhao but the Fire Lord told them to stop, even now after the bout had ended.

“So, what will you do to the man who challenged your honour?” Tadashi turned to listen to his father before facing Zhao again.

Zhao was clearly defeated but his face was that of hate and malice, ready to strike again if the opportunity arose. Tadashi saw the glint in the downed man’s eyes and a primal desire to instil obedience took over as he walked towards Zhao and grabbed his neck. For a moment he didn’t realise what the young boy was doing until he felt an intense burning sensation around his neck. The rage in the boy’s eyes mimicked that of the Fire Lord and Zhao quickly realised he had made a mistake, thinking that the boy was like Zuko. Trying to hold it in, Zhao struggled to not groan in pain as Tadashi burned his neck, the smell of seared skin making his eyes water. After a few seconds had passed Tadashi pushed the man away, stepping back and looking down on the collapsed form of the man in a dominating way. Guards then ran to Zhao’s side picking him up and escorting him away from the arena.

The force that took over his mind then seemingly vanished, and Tadashi felt weak again, having expelled a lot of chi during that fight. He looked towards his sister who seemed to be having the best day of her life before noticing several things from his father. His smile seemed to mimic that of a proud parent, the only thing Tadashi had ever wanted from the man, but his eyes held something else, whether they were calculating, suspicious or worried Tadashi didn’t know but it scared him. He stood there, watching as everyone left, not because it was expected of him, but because he couldn’t move. Too much energy had left his body and he knew that even taking one step would mean he’d fall over and look like a fool. So he waited, until Azula had finished congratulating him, for the ministers to finish nodding in approval and for everyone else to leave, Tadashi making excuses as to why he remained. It wasn’t until Naoko appeared that he relaxed, almost collapsing onto her shoulder as she helped him to his room. Tadashi made a mental note to visit Zuko, he doubted that his brother would even want to see him but he had to try, after all he did promise their mother he’d do so.


	5. Chapter 5

“What?”

Tadashi had woken to a statement he never thought he’d have to hear. He could see the sadness in Naoko’s eyes as she repeated herself for the third time that morning.

“The Fire Lord has been gracious enough to give Zuko two days to recover.”

“But why?” he asked, his hands twitching slightly.

Naoko sighed, having explained this before already. She was reluctant to move any closer than two feet away from his bed but if things were to get out of hand then another  _ incident  _ would occur. So following her own personal routine she gently sat on the bed and took Tadashi’s hand, gently rubbing it with her thumb until he calmed down.

“It’s unfortunate that your brother has been banished, but you can at least be there for him, let him know that a friendly face will be there to welcome him back?” Naoko spoke softly.

“You’re right,” Tadashi nodded, giving Naoko a half-smile, “Thanks.”

Naoko blushed slightly, not knowing what to say. Her position as a servant forbade gestures like this, dictating that she should be seen and not heard but from the day she met her master she knew he was quite different. Not unlike Lady Ursa, Tadashi would thank the servants and do thoughtful things to make their lives easier, this was why the servants came to like him. But the unique environment that was the Fire Nation Royal Palace brought about something else too, a more attention-seeking and power hungry side that would surface every now and then. It scared her to think what would happen if she ever stepped out of line, suffering a fate not too similar to some of Ozai and Azula’s servants.

“You’re welcome,” she said, pulling away from the boy. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have to attend to your fa-…..the Fire Lord.”

Tadashi grimaced. That was the last person he wanted to think about. The thought of his father made him want to stay in bed but, the sun had already risen and it would be counterproductive for a firebending prince to waste time that could be used training, taking lessons or doing some other menial task in his never-ending path to please his father. Still lost in thought, he didn’t realise as Naoko had brought out a set of clothing for him to wear and was already at the door.

“Oh, by the way,” Naoko interrupted his thoughts, “The Fire Lord requests your presence at noon.”

Tadashi gulped but nodded, already dreading the confrontation. As Naoko left the room he quickly changed, slipping into more suitable clothing for the day and went to go and find something to eat before seeing Zuko. It was unusually quiet, not a single servant or guard could be seen on his way to the kitchens and even once he had entered the kitchens there wasn’t a single member of staff about.

“Odd….” Tadashi mumbled to himself, but he shrugged it off, deciding to get something to eat himself.

Cooking was a skill that Tadashi had only learnt once Naoko had started working in the palace. Coming from a  middle-class  background, the girl had plenty of experience cooking for herself and was coerced into teaching the young boy when he caught her in the kitchens one night. Tadashi kept himself busy, cooking eggs and Komodo sausages in a small pan. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t notice the staff slowly trickling into the room.

“Um……Prince Tadashi?” the head chef called warily.

Tadashi froze, turning around to meet the chef, a tall and burly man with a light scar on his upper lip. Luckily for the young boy his meal was almost prepared, and the staff had seen him cook before, so explaining himself wouldn’t be a bother.

“We can do that….” The head chef muttered, shuffling in an agitated manner.

“Oh, tha-” Tadashi began but was interrupted by another chef.

“What he means is that it’s not  _ your _ place to make food, that’s our job. The Fire Lord has reminded us of this, he said, rubbing his arm whilst trying to avoid eye contact with Tadashi.

The boy could only nod, unable to understand why this was happening but knowing that the kitchen staff were saying this for his and their own benefit. He stopped what he was doing and quickly left the kitchen, mumbling that he also wanted some fruit before heading to the dining room. At this time, it was empty. No one was around and there were no guards stationed about either. Tadashi sighed, grateful to have some alone time while he recollected his thoughts. Not too long later Naoko entered the room carrying a tray with his food, her face appeared stiffer than usual, and he noticed that her clothing was different from what she had been wearing earlier. Knowing that the young boy sensed something wrong Naoko quickly placed the tray on the table, bowed and whispered something that no eavesdropper would hear.

“After you finish eating, go to your room.”

Her words were short and abrupt, but she quickly straightened and took a posture against one of the walls, waiting for Tadashi to finish. The young boy was surprised, this was the first time in a while that she’d acted this way when only the two of them were together but sensing that his father might have had a hand in everything that’s going on, he focused on quickly finishing his breakfast, realising that he was hungrier than he thought.

After finishing his meal the two quickly left the room, another servant walking in to clear the remains. Tadashi recognised the older boy but he didn’t even spare a glance at Tadashi, instead focusing on the floor in front of him. All the servants seemed to have returned to their posts, guards included but everyone that passed by, whether they were a guard or servant, would glance away as Tadashi made his way to his room. The growing feeling in the pit of his stomach was unsettling. By the time that the two were in Tadashi’s room the boy was thoroughly confused and slightly angry.

“So, what is all this? Why won’t anyone talk to me? Why was everyone missing this morning and when did you change your clothing?” he blurted out, walking back and forth in his room with restlessness.

Naoko wanted to move forwards but stayed put, thinking of her answer before speaking much softer than usual, wary of anyone that might be outside.

“You see, the Fire Lord called us all to the throne room this morning, he told us that you were to be treated this way. He wouldn’t elaborate why but he said that anyone found being friendly with you was to be banished without hesitation.”

Tadashi stopped walking, unable to believe what he’d heard.

“But why?” he murmured, eyes dropping slightly.

“I’m not entirely sure….but I think your….um father is wary of you,” she paused looking around nervously, “you see with Zuko being banished to hunt the Avatar you will become the Crown Prince.”

“What?” 

Tadashi had never thought of that before. He couldn’t help but wonder how life as the Crown Prince would be, but everything that had been happening lately was too strange to appreciate this potential reality.

“How am I a threat?” Tadashi wondered aloud, but taken by surprise when Naoko answered without missing a beat.

“That’s easy, it was the way you dealt with Lieutenant Zhao. It proved to your father that you have what it takes to be ruthless but at the same time he doesn’t treat you like his own son so that may make him weary.”

Naoko’s words echoed for several moments. He had never expected her or anyone else for that matter to come to the same conclusion he did many years ago.

“How do you know? Do you think he’s not my father too?” Tadashi asked, fearing the answer.

“What? I didn’t mean that,” Naoko grimaced slightly before moving to console the younger boy, realising that he was thoroughly confused. “He  _ is  _ your father after all but I think you’re much better than he is.”

The words she spoke could have easily been seen as treasonous, especially as it was said to a potential Fire Lord. Tadashi knew that everything he had been told was meant to be a secret, it wasn’t the first time things like this had happened. In the past Tadashi and Azula would often spy on their grandfather, knowing ahead of time about palace functions, changes in guard formations and even the time their grandfather threw fire at a servant for calling him ‘Fired Lord’ by accident.

“OK, fine. I get all that,” Tadashi spoke, “but what happened to you?”

Naoko stepped back suddenly, but she was too slow for Tadashi who caught her arm and held it up, careful to only touch her hand as he saw her wince in pain. She didn’t know what to do, pulling away half-heartedly and fighting back a whimper.

“He burned you,” Tadashi’s voice almost growled.

Seeing the anger building up within him, Naoko pulled Tadashi closer and hugged him, hoping that the sudden embrace would calm him down. Fortunately for her it did, as he quickly let go of her, putting his own half-hearted attempt to separate them before accepting her embrace.

“I’m sorry,” He said, “This is all my fault.”

Naoko smiled softly, stroking the boy’s dark hair affectionately. Coming from a family of girls she never knew what having a brother was like but knew that it wouldn’t be that much different from this. She only wished the circumstances were different. After a minute she pulled away with a pained look in her eyes.

“Nothing is your fault Tadashi. You’re kind and strong, and I’d never wish to serve someone else.” She began, fiddling with the sleeve of her arm before pulling it back.

Tadashi gasped slightly as he saw the burn, the skin seemed to be boiling, exactly the same way Zhao’s had after their fight. Without thinking he had moved his hand and focused his attention on the heat that was still there, drawing as much away from her arm as possible. Naoko stiffened at first before realising that the pain in her arm was receding, marvelling at how efficient Tadashi’s bending seemed to be, that was until she noticed he was breathing hard.

“That’s enough,” she said, “I’m fine now….thank you.”

Tadashi breathed deeply a few times until he could feel his energy pool returning to normal levels. For him, the process of helping Naoko relieved him of some stress, helping to calm his mind and heart down immensely.

“What would I do without you?” Tadashi asked out of the blue.

Naoko laughed, already passed the stage of blushing and proceeded to hug Tadashi again who didn’t complain.

“You’d be just fine. The real question is what would I do without such a wonderful master to serve?”

“Don’t put it like that….” Tadashi complained before chuckling slightly.

The two stayed like that for an hour, talking, teasing and coming to a better understanding about the situation with Tadashi and the Fire Lord. A knock on the door caught their attention as Naoko jumped back into her regular servant expression, ready to act as if nothing had transpired. A plain looking man walked into the room, looking absentminded.

“Sorry for the disturbance Prince Tadashi, but Naoko’s presence is required with the palace herbalist,” he spoke slowly and carefully.

“Why?” Tadashi asked curiously.

The man stiffened, clearly not expecting the question.

“She’s been asked to help go and purchase a fresh patch of potent herbs.” He quickly explained, motioning for Naoko to leave.

The girl gave a quick bow to Tadashi before hopping out the room, the man doing a similar action, leaving Tadashi to himself. The young firebender sighed, still frustrated by what was happening. He began thinking of what would happen when he met his father later, what he would do, how angry he would be. Listening to his internal clock as all  firebenders  were taught he realised that noon was still a while away, meaning he could use the remaining time to check up on Zuko. Not wanting to disturb or be spotted by anyone, Tadashi made a game of sticking to the shadows, using his smoke to throw off anyone that he thought would see him, and it almost worked until he bumped into his Uncle.

“It’s not every day you see a Prince of the Fire Nation sticking to the shadows,” he said, looking at Tadashi quizzically.

“Hello Uncle,” Tadashi said, “I’m here to see Zuko.”

“I see, well Zuko is still asleep, but I’m sure he’d appreciate the company when he awakens.” Iroh gave Tadashi a small smile.

“I can’t stay for long. Father wants to see me at noon,” Tadashi grumbled.

Iroh suddenly tensed upon hearing Tadashi’s words. He looked around before facing the boy again.

“I understand. He most likely wants to speak to you about your bout with Zhao. I have to say that was a very foolish thing to do. Fate is often unkind to those that are unkind themselves.”

“Father already burned Nao- my servant,” the bitterness in Tadashi’s words didn’t go unnoticed.

“I see, it seems that fate has been working rather quickly these past few months.” As Iroh spoke he looked off into the distance before refocusing on Tadashi again. “Although it’s unfortunate you need to be more wary in the future, Prince Zuko had paid the price for what he’s done and I don’t think you need to follow his actions so soon.”

Tadashi squirmed, somewhat uncomfortable by the way his uncle was lecturing him but listened on anyway.

“I can feel the anger in you. For firebenders our anger is often a source of power, some draw their power from other sources, but for long we have used our anger to power us. But remember that anger distracts the mind, it leads to paranoia and can ultimately lead to your destruction.”

Tadashi nodded, understanding what his uncle was trying to say. The moment he faced Zhao he pictured the man that attacked his sister many years ago and let his anger towards him take over and fuel his attacks. Thinking about it now was enough to make him shudder in disgust. His Uncle had stopped talking for a while, the two staying there for a few moments before his Uncle spoke out again.

“Would you care to come inside for some tea? There’s still a while before you need to meet your father.”

“No thanks,” Tadashi excused himself, “I think it’s best I just get there early to be honest.”

Iroh nodded, turning back to walk into Zuko’s room. Tadashi sighed in relief. He knew that staying with his Uncle would only make him feel worse about himself. Contemplating what he’d do next, Tadashi decided that it would be best to simply wait till noon in front of the throne room as he said he would.

As Tadashi entered the throne room he felt scared; this was the first time that he’d entered on his own. His father, Fire Lord Ozai, was seated around a wall of intimidating fire. Tadashi instantly bowed as he had been taught to. He remained face down until his father called out to him.

“Prince Tadashi, do you know why I called you here?” every word he said sounded threatening.

“Zhao,” Tadashi managed to speak, using every fibre of his body to stop shaking.

“Yes, that is part of why I called you today. You see I was impressed with the way you handled that…..lieutenant who I had intended on promoting.”

“That man was going to get a promotion?” Tadashi asked, too confused to let his fear take over him.

“Of course, having easily manipulated pawns take charge allows me to impose my will that much more easily. That was why I was so….impressed with the way you exploited his anger.”

“Thank you, father.” Tadashi said, the words a mere formality rather than gratitude.

“Yes…..the way you used smoke to control the battle was also quite impressive and I’ve heard that you taught your sister this skill too?”

“Yes,” Tadashi confirmed.

“Good, I can see you understand the benefit of having powerful allies, especially those with such…..close connections.”

Tadashi remained silent, unable to respond, his father was about to speak again when a messenger ran into the room, immediately dropping into a bow before speaking.

“Forgive me for interrupting but I have urgent news!” he exclaimed.

Ozai was absolutely vexed by the interruption but didn’t show it, noticing the grimace Tadashi was now giving the messenger. The small action was enough to confirm that the boy was the right choice for his plans.

“You may go. We’ll speak again some other time.”

“Yes father,” Tadashi bowed, quickly exiting the room.

Unable to maintain his breath, Tadashi gasped desperately for air. Thankfully there was no one in sight to notice the boy in his weakened state. Whether it was by design or a rare occurrence the young prince couldn’t dwell on the thought for very long as a barrage of things entered his mind, threatening to overtake any semblance of sanity he still grasped onto.

The Fire Lord didn’t say anything particularly special. His words were no different than the other interaction they’ve had, yet the years of back-handed compliments, the uncaring attitude and the eyes which seemed to hold some contempt lead to a void of senseless chases and impractical fights. He didn’t know why talking to his father scared him, he couldn’t think of any particular moment that did it or any threatening words he said that meant something more. Before he knew it, a pair of the nearby guards had rushed to check on the prince, but he waved them away, assuring the two that he was fine.

“I’m going to see Zuko” he mumbled to himself before stumbling off, hoping that his older brother was now awake.


End file.
